Van Horn STEM Students Give Away Computer

Posted December 19, 2016

Van Horn High School’s STEM Academy students gave away their first refurbished computer thanks to their hard work and grant money from Ford Next Generation Learning. They won the $10,000 top prize in the Ford STEM Community Challenge grant contest. Students from across the country submitted proposals and Van Horn was chosen as the winner. Van Horn students are refurbishing computers and donating them to families in the area. It is part of the school’s Community Assistance through the Service of Technology (CAST) program.

“Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever felt anything like this before,” said Senior Sean Crotty after giving away the first computer that he worked hard to refurbish. “I never expected people to be so happy and gracious for being provided with a computer.”

“Words cannot express how proud I am of my students for giving back to our community while learning a valuable trade,” said Scott McQuerry, Van Horn computer science teacher and Project Lead The Way (PLTW) advisor. “I have no doubt the CAST program will help a lot of families in the years to come.”

William Chrisman’s STEM Academy won $5,000 in the Ford STEM Community Challenge. Chrisman’s program is How Tumbling Can Keep You Healthy, Without Moving a Muscle. It calls for developing solar powered compost tumblers for the Independence Community Gardens.